. >> roger, open up! >> reporter: after 15 years in the military and three tours in iraq, sergeant first class robert rish knows you can never be too careful. >> after about 300 meters, triple strength wire, 360 degrees. >> reporter: rish first came here for the invasion in 2003. for him and the 27 other u.s. troops who live here at checkpoint 11, 25 miles from the syrian border, the war that has changed so many of their lives is not yet over. >> to be honest with you, i really didn't think we'd be here this long. >> let's go! >> reporter: captain keith benoit leads a joint patrol of u.s. and iraqi soldiers through the town of zumar. two weeks ago an i.e.d. went off here and american intelligence is warning of another attack in the coming days. benoit's primary job is training the iraqis, something that is finally starting to pay off. >> we live, we work with them, we patrol with them. there is nothing that we don't do together. >> reporter: it wasn't always that way. first sergeant clint davis recalls on